Consecutive-numbering machine.



No. 646,047. Patented Mar. 27,1900.

0. G. BARTUSCH.

CONSECUTIVE NUMBEBING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 23, 1899.)

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3 e in Fig. 1.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

OSWALD GUSTAV BARTUSCH, OF NEXV YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW YORK STENCIL WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

CONSECUTlVE- -NUMBERING MACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters lf'atent No. 646,047, dated March 27, 1900.

Application filed February 23,1899- Serial No. 706,558. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OsWALD GUSTAV BAR- TUSOH, of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved OonsecutiveNumbering Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to numbering-inachines having a plunger for actuating the numbering-wheels and adapted to be engaged for each impression at its head-plate by a moving part of the printing-press, usually the platen.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved consecutive-numbering machine more especially designed for use on printing-presses and arranged to permit of running the numbering-machine at a high rate of speed and to permit consecutive numbering in either an ascending or descending scale and with the superfluous ciphers automatically disappearing, so that they do not print when not needed.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then point ed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line Fig. at is a front face view of one of the numbering-wheels having a disappearing-cipher section. Fig. 5 is a rear face view of the same with the cipher-section in an outer or printing position. Fig. 6 is a similar View of the same with the cipher-section in an innermost or non-printing position. Fig. 7 is an inner face view of the outermost numbering-wheel, and Fig. 8 is a cross-seccipher-scale for the pressman or other attendant to set the cipher-section of all the numbering-wheels except the units-wheel in a non-printing position'by hand previously to starting the press, as otherwise the numbering would start with, say, 00001 instead of 1, and when it was desired to print the numbers in the reverse or descending scalesay from 99999 down to 0-it was necessary for the pressman to move the cipher-sections of the tens-of-thousands, thousands, hundreds, and tens numbering-wheels successively into a non-printing position when the proper numbers were reached, as otherwise the ciphers would appear in undesirable places and the numbers would read, for instance, 09999, 00999, 00009 instead of 9999, 999, 99, 9, respectively. In order to thus set the cipher-sections, it was necessary to stop the press whenevera change had to be made. With my improvement, presently to be described in detail, the character-numbers without the addition of superfluous ciphers can be printed in both the ascending and descending scale and without stopping the press for making the ciphers disappear at the proper moment, as such ciphers will automatically disappear and remain in this position until the end of the scale is reached, when all the numbering-wheels are instantly returned to starting position.

The improved numbering machine is mounted in a suitably-constructed casing A, provided near one end with a transverse partition A for forming two compartments in the casing, one for containing the numbering wheels B B B B B mounted to turn on a shaft 0, fixed in one end of the casing and the partition A, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. In the other compartment is mounted to reciprocatea plunger D, carrying at its upper end a head-plate E, which is preferably in the shape of a type bearing the abbreviation No. for the word number, as is plainly shown in Fig. 1.

The numbering-wheels B B B B B -should be provided with suitable wheels-for instance, the usual ratchet-wheels F shown in the drawings, which are engaged by pawls Gr, held on a pawl-frame G, mounted to swing from the shaft 0 as a fulcrum, all of which formed in the partition A and projecting into the compartment containing the plunger D. On the inner end of this pin G is held a friction-roller G engaged by the forked end H of a lever H, fulcru med at H on the partition A and extending in a recess formed on the inner face of the plunger, as is plainly indi cated in Figs. 2 and 8. The lever II is engaged at its top and bottom edges between the fulcrum and the forked end H by friction-rollers D, journaled on studs D carried by the plungerD. The plungerD is normally held in an uppermost position by springs D pressing against the lower end of the pin nger, as is plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 8.

WVhen the movable part of the printingpress comes in contact with the head-plate E, then the plunger D is caused to slide downward in its bearing in the casing, said bearing being formed by the longitudinally-extending sides A integral with the partition A, as indicated in Fig. 1. When the plunger D moves downward, the friction-rollers D impart a downward-swinging motion to the lever H to impart a like swinging motion to the pawl-frame G and cause the pawls to glide over the ra tchet-wheels F, without, however, turning the numbering-wheels. \Vhen the movable part has passed the head-plate E, then the springs D impart a return or upward sliding motion to the plunger D, so that an upward-swinging motion is given to the lever H by the friction-rollers D, and an upward-swinging motion is imparted by the lever to the pawl-frame G, so that one, two, or more of the numbering-wheels are turned to bring a consecutive number to an uppermost or printing position.

It is evident that by the arrangement described the sliding motion given to the plunger D is utilized to positively impart a swinging motion to the pawl-frame to actuate the numbering-wheels without causing any of the parts to bind, and at the same time to reduce the friction to a minimum, so that the numbering-machine can be run at a very high rate of speed and with great accuracy, as none of the parts referred to are liable to get out of order.

The numberingwheels B B B B B are held against accidental return movement by the usual spring-dogs I shown in the drawings.

In the drawings but five n umberin g-whcels are illustrated; but it is evident that a greater or lesser number of such wheels may be arranged on the shaft C in the casing for i11- creasing or decreasing the range of the machine.

The units numbering-wheel B is provided with the usual fixed numerals from O to 9, while the tens, hundreds, and thousands numberingwheels B B .13 are each provided with the fixed numerals from 1 to 0, the naught or cipher being on a block 13", titted to slide radially in suitable bearings formed in the body of the wheel. The tens-of-thousamls numbering-wheel B is formed with fixed numerals from 1 to 9, the cipher being cut out or omitted, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7, and on the inner face of this wheel is arranged an annular groove 13, having an inward bend B in radial alinement with the cut-out or cipher portion of the wheel. The groove B is engaged by a pin B projecting from the cipher-section B of the adjacent numbering-wheel 13 (See Fig. 2.)

lVhen the numbering-wheel B" is in the po sition shown in Fig. 7 and the next wheel 13 is turned until the pin B passes into the bent part B of the groove, then the pin 15 causes the cipher-section of the wheel B to slide downward or inward a sufficient distance to bring the cipher out of position for making an impression, so that the wheels B and B do not print when the-two ciphers are reached. As the wheels B and 13'' now remain stationary and the cipher-section B of the numbering-wheels B is formed on its front face with a groove B, adapted to register with a circu lar groove 13 formed in the face of the wheel B adjacent to the wheel 13 it is evident that this groove 13 moves out of register with the groove B at the time the cipher-section B of the wheel B is moved into anon-printing position. (See Fig. 6.) \Vhen the other wheel 13 is rotated and the pin B of its cipher-section moves from the groove 13 into the depressed groove B, then the ciphersection B is likewise drawn inward into a non-printing position at the time the cipher is at the top of the wheel.

Now when the cipher section B of the wheel B passes into an innermost position, its groove B passes downward out of alinement with the groove B in said wheel 13*, and consequently when the numberingavheel B is turned until the cipher-section moves to the top then the pin B of the section 13 moves into the groove 13 of the cipher section for the wheel B and consequently the oiphersection B of the wheel 13 is likewise drawn inward out of a printing position. Thus the four wheels B B B 13 stand in such position that none of them will print, as the ciphersections of the wheels 13 13 B liave movedinward to bring the ciphers out of printing position, and the cipher in the wheel B has been cut out for the same purpose. Thus only the wheel 13 prints until it reaches its cipher, and then. on the next stroke given to the plunger D the pawls Gr impart a simultaneous turning movement to all the wheels, so as to bring them back to a starting position, with the numerals 9 on the top of the apparatus. \Vhen the machine is in this po sition and it is desired to print from 99909 to 0, it is evident that the wheels B B 13 B B operate in the usual manner to print the consecutive numbers until the wheel 13' is moved into the position shown in Fig. 7- that is, with the cut-out portion standing on top, so that the wheel now remains stationary during the remainder of the printing, and when the following wheel B is moved around to bring its pin B into the bend B of the groove B then the cipher section of this wheel 13 slides inward to cause its cipher to disappear from the impression-line. This operation is repeated by the other wheels 13 and B in the manner above described, so that no superfluous ciphers appear when impressions are made. In the same manner when printing the numerals in the ascending scale the ciphers of the wheels B B B B B remain dormant until required.

It is understood that the machine described can be readily put to other uses besides the one referred to. For instance, the machine can be designed as a hand numbering-machine or as a paging-machine for numbering blank books or other work of similar character.

Having thus fully described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In a numbering apparatus, the combination with a case or frame, of two nu mberingwheels one of which has a groove therein, the groove having an inwardly-extended portion and a type mounted to move on the other wheel independently thereof and having a part running in the cam-groove of the firstnamed wheel, the said type being automatically moved inward by the bend in the groove.

2. In a numbering apparatus, the combination with the case or frame, of two numbering-wheels, the one having-a circular groove therein, a type mounted to move on each wheel independently thereof, the movable type of the grooved wheel having a groove capable of registering with the groove of the said wheel, and the movable type of the second wheel having a part running in the grooves of the first wheel and its movable type, and means for automatically moving the movable type of the first wheel independently of its wheel.

3. In a numbering apparatus, the combination with a case or frame, of three numberingwheels, the one of which has a cam-groove therein, and the second of which has a groove therein, and a movable type mounted on each of the second and third wheels, the movable type of the second wheel having a groove capable of registering with that of the second wheel, and said movable type of the second wheel having a part running in the camgroove of the first wheel to automatically move said type, the movable type of the third wheel having a part running in the groove of the second wheel and in the groove of the movable type on said second wheel.

4. In a numbering apparatus, the combination with the case or frame thereof, of a numbering-wheel, a pawl for driving the same, a lever fulcrumed on the case and having aconnection with the pawl to drive the pawl, the connection including an antifriction-roller, a plunger mounted in the case, and two antifriction-rollers attached to and moving with the plunger and bearing respectively on op= posite sides of the lever to drive the same.

OSWALD GUSTAV BARTUSCH.

lVitnesses:

P.- VAN ALSTYNE, G. A. HEWLETT, I-IoLsEY S. WALKER. 

